World Vision Zimbabwe to reopen

July 21, 2008

World Vision partially reopened its offices today with skeletal staff, after a protracted closure following the government ban on all aid agencies’ field activities in the build up to last month’s elections.

Following the ban, World Vision Zimbabwe sent nearly 90 per cent of its staff on paid leave, with only a core team remaining in the office.

World Vision Zimbabwe’s Bhekimpilo Khanye said a team has been sent to the field to gather information for ongoing programming.

“In the meantime activities like institutional feeding will continue,” said Khanye.

The ban is effectively still in place but the Government has relaxed its restrictions, allowing NGOs such as World Vision to carry out some field activities. These include school-feeding programmes, food for the chronically ill and institutional feeding.

World Vision Zimbabwe has also resumed some similar programmes in urban centres, distributing 600 metric tonnes of food to more than 116,000 beneficiaries.

Zimbabwe’s humanitarian situation continues to deepen, with inflation officially estimated to be above 2.2 million. Unemployment rates are as high as 80 per cent and an estimated 4.1 million people are food insecure and in urgent need of food aid.

World Vision has worked in Zimbabwe in programmes such as food aid, rehabilitation of dams and irrigation schemes, improving access to water sources, seeds, fertilizer and small livestock, benefiting more than one million people per month.

Through World Vision New Zealand, Kiwis fund food projects through World Food Programme.

Reporting by Stewart Muchapera
World Vision Zimbabwe